Denny Hamlin has never been shy about voicing his frustrations, but the newly released email he wrote to NASCAR executives exposes a level of tension that goes far deeper than the usual owner-sanctioning body disagreements.
The message, sent privately by Hamlin in 2022 and made public during recent legal proceedings, lays out a raw and unfiltered critique of NASCAR chairman Jim France.
The situation around the email is part of a broader fight over the sport’s financial model, after leaked messages from NASCAR leaders showed just how much they disliked seeing Hamlin compete in the now-defunct Superstar Racing Experience.
Teams including 23XI Racing, which Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan, have argued that NASCAR’s current revenue-sharing structure is unsustainable, saying they bear the overwhelming majority of costs despite being responsible for fielding, funding and operating the entire product on track.
That dispute escalated into a legal battle challenging NASCAR’s control over charters and team economics, and as part of that process, internal emails began surfacing.
Hamlin wrote that Jim France believes “NASCAR itself is the show,” a philosophy that Hamlin argues diminishes the investment, labor and identity of the teams competing each week.
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He wrote, “Jim doesn’t really value the current owners of our sport and what we bring. He believes that NASCAR itself is the show. He made a point to say that we have to continue to give OEMs tremendous value because they help support the teams.”
“I honestly don’t think he understands that every teams OEM deal is different. I told him our 15M number is WITH OEM engine support.”
Hamlin argued that treating all teams as having the same level of manufacturer backing was both inaccurate and out of touch with the sport’s economics.
France pointed to the need for teams to reduce expenses, a response Hamlin interpreted as dismissive of owners’ long-term value. “In the end he just wants someone else to pay our bills, NOT NASCAR,” Hamlin wrote.
That frustration only grew as the season wore on, especially when Hamlin’s on-track hopes ended in brutal fashion at the championship finale in Phoenix.
After entering the race as a legitimate title contender, Hamlin watched his shot unravel in the closing laps when a late caution reshuffled the field and flipped the strategy against him. Kyle Larson took two tires, Hamlin took four, and the split-second decision cost him the track position he couldn’t regain.
The 2025 campaign had been one of his strongest, but its ending, another missed championship in a career full of near-misses, added emotional weight to the grievances he laid out in that email.